In the Disney film version of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," Aslan the lion is killed in place of a boy named Edmund. Edmund deserved to be killed, according to the laws of the kingdom of Narnia, for betraying his brother and sister. Aslan was killed so that Edmund could live.
In today's Gospel reading we celebrate that Jesus is "the good shepherd," who "lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus knows that we have all betrayed God, and by the laws of God's kingdom we deserve to be punished. But Jesus took the punishment for us, like a shepherd protecting his sheep.
This is good news for those of us who have not always felt that we are safe in this world. While it is a theological truth that we have all betrayed God, many of us have also been badly betrayed by other people --- in many cases we were betrayed by people who were supposed to take care of us. We have been hurt by siblings, parents, friends and others. It can be difficult to see God as someone who protects us if we have not experienced a lot of protection as children or as adults.
Jesus gives us the example of his life, death and resurrection to explain to us how God protects us. In Christ, God sees all our wounds, faults and failures and loves us still --- enough to be mocked, humiliated and slaughtered. Jesus also gives us this parable of the good shepherd to explain how God protects and looks after us. God fights for our welfare, and will attack the wolves and lions that would prey on us.
In the "Narnia" film, a mere growl from Aslan the lion is enough to make his enemies tremble. When he roars, even the dreaded evil Queen kneels in awe and respect at Aslan's majesty. We are reminded in the movie that Aslan, though he is kind and warm and strong, is "not a tame lion." He is fierce in his love, service and protection of his people.
God is not a tame God. God loves us and protects us fiercely. If you're like me, you don't always feel this way. It is especially difficult to feel God's protection when things happen to us that hurt us deeply. How could a loving God allow us to be hurt?
I don't know how to answer that question for you. I can only tell you that in my experience, when I focus on Christ's love, his willingness to lay down his life for us on the cross, enduring the agony and humiliation that it entailed, I can believe that the pain I feel in this world has some meaning or purpose. I don't know what it is, exactly, except that it is part of the process of redemption, built into the laws of God's kingdom.
Jesus died so that we could live --- so that we would not have to be afraid of anything, not even pain. Jesus is not a tame God. Nor does he call us to lead tame lives. We are called to accept his forgiveness, embrace his healing power, and be a source of healing and compassion for others. Bill Peatman writes from Napa. |